[Hinews] A new study reveals that survival rates for patients with advanced cancer can vary by more than twofold based on the quality of palliative care they receive, while depressive symptoms also drop sharply. This groundbreaking research is the first to prove that it's not merely the availability of palliative care, but its actual quality, that profoundly influences patients' lives and outcomes.

Patients with progressive cancer face not only treatment challenges but also pain, depression, anxiety, and other issues. While early palliative care aims to support them, efforts until now have focused mainly on simply providing the service. A research team led by Professor Young-Ho Yoon at Seoul National University Hospital analyzed changes in mental health and survival rates among 144 patients across 12 hospitals, measuring the quality of palliative care delivered.

The quality of palliative care was assessed based on patients' experiences with communication from medical staff, emotional support, and involvement in decision-making. Results showed that after 24 weeks, the group receiving high-quality care saw depression rates fall to 14.7%, less than half the baseline, while the low-quality group remained at 39.1%. Two-year survival rates were also more than double in the high-quality group at 25%, compared to 11.8% in the low-quality group.

(From left) Professor Young-Ho Yoon, Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital; Professor Eun-Kyo Kang, Department of Family Medicine, National Cancer Center (Photo courtesy of Seoul National University Hospital)
(From left) Professor Young-Ho Yoon, Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital; Professor Eun-Kyo Kang, Department of Family Medicine, National Cancer Center (Photo courtesy of Seoul National University Hospital)


Certain aspects of quality of life and self-management abilities also improved more significantly in the high-quality palliative care group.
Professor Eun-Kyo Kang at the National Cancer Center stated, "This provides evidence that the quality of palliative care is directly linked to patient survival," emphasizing that "palliative care is not just an option but an essential component of management." Professor Yoon added, "Beyond expanding the quantity of services, establishing a system for quality management is urgently needed."

The study was published in the online edition of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

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